More than 150 artists from over 70 countries have made the cut and will exhibit their work at the event titled "Thinking Historically in the Present", curated by the biennial's founder Hoor Al Qasim and imagined by the late Okwui Enwezor.
In the eyes of its visionary, contemporary art allows one to address history, society and politics all together. Enwezor was particularly attached to biennials and the place they hold in the ecosystem of contemporary art and this edition of the Sharjah biennial aims at paying tribute to this idea.
"With gratitude to Okwui and the ambitious intellectual project he conceived, we are organising a Biennial that builds on and honours his vision to probe the past, present and future role that biennials and institutions, including the Sharjah Biennial and the Foundation, can serve". Said Qasim in a statement.
Among some of the 30 artists who have received major commissioned works for the biennial, can be found names such as the ones of John Akomfrah, Carolina Caycedo, Coco Fusco and Steve McQueen.
cover image: Mleiha, Sharjah. Photo: Ali Omran. Courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation.
